You are here

Caring For Feathered Friends Important

Caring for outdoor birds is both a responsibility and an ongoing source of joy.

That nature-loving belief comes from Chad Lowe and Karen Westcamp-Johnson, who are education program specialists for the Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center. Watching and feeding birds provide a sense of entertainment and appreciation, and by following a few tips, people can enjoy the sights and sounds of winged “friends,” Westcamp-Johnson said.

“There are all kinds of bird feeders that are available,” she said. “There are the feeders with a platform, and there’s feeders that are the hanging kind. The platform is the easiest, but you have to be careful — it can get mold at the wood base, and that’s bad.”

Homeowners will want to keep mold out of the birdseed, as well, Lowe said.

“Ideally, you want to put the seed out frequently, but don’t let the seed get rained on and then moldy,” he said. “Whole-kernel corn is the worst at getting moldy, so you don’t want birds eating something that is moldy and then getting a fungus.”

Birds commonly found in area yards include cardinals, nuthatches, Ruby-crowned kinglets, song sparrows, the tufted titmouse, dark-eyed juncos, cedar waxwings, chickadees and woodpeckers, Westcamp-Johnson said. The birds should be fed regularly, she said.

“We want to tell people who feed the birds that they shouldn’t do it just once,” Westcamp-Johnson said. “You don’t want to not feed them the rest of the winter, because once the birds get adjusted, they will keep looking for food around your yard.

“You need to feed them all winter, because it gets really cold,” she added. “If the birds can’t find food around your yard, they will be forced to hunt somewhere else.”

Woodpeckers usually are attracted to food such as peanut butter and apples; putting those food items out can help prevent the woodpeckers from taking birdseed away from other birds, Lowe said.

“Woodpeckers are neat to watch come in, but you have to be careful,” he said. “Woodpeckers are going for birdseeds now because there’s not enough bugs out.”

“Providing water for birds is definitely important now because it’s been so dry,” he said. “Sure, the water will freeze in the morning, so you’ll have to replace and replenish the water supply for the birds. Birds have to find water.”

Although squirrels like to eat bird feed, homeowners can do a few things to divert the squirrels away from bird feeders and birdhouses, Lowe said.

“You can hang ears of corn in other places to give squirrels something to chew up,” he said. “Squirrels like the same things as birds, so if there’s not corn for them, they’re going to go after the bird food.”

Birdhouses can provide shelter for birds during chilly temperatures and fierce wind, Lowe said. Martins prefer birdhouses because they are community nesters, while eastern bluebirds will only roost in birdhouses where the entrance faces east, he said.

“Placement is important,” Westcamp-Johnson said of birdhouses. “You need to make the entry hole a little bit bigger to fit a bigger bird, and have the bird shelters where the north wind won’t get the bird. Birds don’t like a birdhouse entrance that faces north.”

Birdhouses also should be kept out of reach of outdoor cats and cats that go in and out of the home, although dogs almost never pose a threat to birds, she said.

“Keep the birdhouses high off the ground, and be careful because if birdseed gets off the shelter and hits the ground, the bird is going to want to go to the ground to get the feed,” Westcamp-Johnson said. “If that happens, that can be a feeding frenzy for cats, and it’s not good.”

Where: SNWR Headquarters, three miles south of Interstate 40 near Vian.

The free, all-ages event allows participants to watch and count birds for as long as eight hours. Participants will be placed into field parties to cover a specific route in the count’s 15-mile diameter circle. Those attending are asked to dress according to the weather.